Something I've been really confused about since starting.

How is your final GPA calculated? (by final GPA I mean the GPA your employers/grad schools would be looking at)

Before starting school I was under the assumption that it worked similar to highschool where they would average out all of your grade 12 courses (or the ones you were applying with).

But then the other day one of the people in my 1st year economics course told me he was a 4th year and was graduating this year (didn't know this was possible)

This got me really confused.. is his GPA going to be:

The average of all his 4th year courses? (including the level 1 economics course)
The average of all his level 4 courses
Or the average of ALL the courses taken from entry to graduation
or something else I haven't considered?

There are two main types. The details are outlined in the course calendar and on the registrar's website, but briefly, the sessional average (SA) is the average of all courses taken in a particular session (so either fall/winter or spring/summer of a given year). It doesn't matter what levels the courses are, or what level you are in.

Your cumulative average (CA) is your average of all of the courses taken at McMaster.

Grad schools or professional schools might calculate your average in a different way, and employers might look at it differently also.

Edit: also, you can take courses from any year, regardless of what year you're in, as long as you meet the prerequisites. It's not at all odd for a fourth-year student to take first-year econ.

Originally Posted by starfish

Your cumulative average (CA) is your average of all of the courses taken at McMaster.

I was really hoping you weren't going to say that.

Do you know if employers/grad schools are more likely to look at/calculate their own cumulative average or sessional average?

If you're applying to graduate school at McMaster specifically, they'll look at your last 20 courses.

Originally Posted by VitaSoy

If you're applying to graduate school at McMaster specifically, they'll look at your last 20 courses.

How does that work with full year courses? Do they count as two?

Originally Posted by RedRanger

I was really hoping you weren't going to say that.

Do you know if employers/grad schools are more likely to look at/calculate their own cumulative average or sessional average?

Lol yes, your first year courses matter.

It all depends. I don't have the statistical data to say that one is more likely than another. There's no real way to determine that, especially for employers. Like I mentioned before, there are also other ways of calculating the average that can be used. (E.g. all level 3+4 courses, the most recent x courses, some professional schools will allow you to eliminate your lowest course each year if you meet course load requirements, etc.)

In my experience, employers seem to ask for your four year CA, but some don't ask at all. Bigger employers (banks, most corporate jobs) ask.

Grad schools are more interested in the last two years of your program. In my case, that's econ. So they are less concerned with a first year elective I took my last semester and more concerned with a 3rd year econ that I took in my second year. They're wanting to see how you'll handle advanced coursework in the field you're applying to, and electives don't mean as much there.

Professional schools, unless specified otherwise, look at everything.

Now it sounds to me like you had/are in the midst of a less than stellar first year and that's okay. If your grades show an upward trend, you can overcome that. Your first year grades will never tell the whole story for anyone looking closely enough. If you can put "Dean's Honour List, years 2-4" then that speaks for itself.

That said, in my experience, the troubles of first year can follow you into subsequent years. You need to completely change how you approach school in order to improve substantially, but it can be done. My first year was a disaster.

Originally Posted by adaptation

How does that work with full year courses? Do they count as two?

I never asked, but it seems like the logical thing to do since a 6 credit course would have twice the weight of a 3 credit course going towards you CA.

Originally Posted by kindlecafevn

Chúc các bạn ngủ ngon

Why do you keep posting the same message in a foreign language?
Stop polluting the threads.

Originally Posted by starfish

Why do you keep posting the same message in a foreign language?
Stop polluting the threads.

The one time we actually need the mods to be banning an account and they are no where to be found eh